Ascent of Lower Wolfjaw Mountain on 2011-03-04

Ascent Trip Report

Today I had the pleasure of hiking with Colleen of the ADK Ladies, on an adventure to the Wolfjaws. The day started out behind two school buses, putting me just behind our scheduled 8am meet-up. I dressed quickly, donning my brand spankin' 2011 Gregory z35 backpack, and we started off on our journey. We were quickly joined by forum member Paradox, who was off in search of Gothics and Armstrong. Before too long, we had made our way to the sign-in, where we strapped into snowshoes and mittens and headed off down the Lake Road trail. Before I knew it, we were saying farewell to Paradox and crossing the river. We soon encountered a couple from Quebec who had tired from trail breaking and camped just before the Wolfjaw's campsite. From that point forward, we were breaking trail. While the snow was not incredibly deep, it rested softly on a firm base, making the steeper sections a bit tricky. For the most part the trail was easy to follow, with the occasional drift here and there. All the trail-busting credit goes to "Murph" as I sat on my rear-end all week nursing a sore foot, and struggled from time to time to keep pace. Before long we were at our final junction, and we made our way up to Lower Wolfjaw. Having never been on the Range before, I led the last bit to the summit. Great views toward Upper WJ, the John's Brook Valley, and Big Slide were the order of the day. After pausing to adjust clothing, we set off on a butt-slide back to the junction. This would be the first real test of my bum wheel, and whether I would try for Upper WJ on this trip. The pain was manageable, and we elected to take on Upper. Boy, it's much steeper then it looks on the topo's! I really had my work cut out for me, but the weather and the conditions made the trip a real treat. Fantastic views and photos were enjoyed from the summit, and then the real fun began. Colleen came with an extra sled, and before long we were FLYING back down the mountain. I am very grateful for my new sled, as it made the descent a blast. Colleen kept me updated with distances to junctions, which really made the trip back cruise by, even though I could feel my legs giving up on me. Finally, we made it back to the Lake Road, which was quite a relief to my weakened left foot. We signed out at 3:45pm, having bagged high peaks #18 and #19 for me. I got to my favorite Stewart's store at 4pm for a big Mtn. Dew and Doritos. What an absolutely great day.